What's in Bloom: September What's in Bloom: September Image September at the Morris Image wood grass Sorghastrum nutans Meadows, Natural Areas Found throughout the Natural Area meadows, this tall native grass blooms from late summer to fall, displaying bright yellow anthers that gently dangle from each grass spikelet. Image kousa dogwood Cornus kousa Log Cabin After its showy summer blooms, kousa dogwood’s red fruit become its fall seasonal interest. These soccer-ball-like fruits are considered drupes, like apricots and cherries, because they contain a stone in the center. Image franklinia Franklinia alatamaha Azalea Meadow A member of the tea family, Theaceae, this small tree blooms with cream-colored flowers and bright yellow stamens. John Bartram’s son collect seed of this species before it went extinct in the wild, and now this plant remains conserved at gardens and arboreta around the world. Image Bourgainvillea golden-rain-tree Koelreuteria bipinnata Orange Balustrade/Parking Lot This medium-sized tree boasts large panicles of small, bright yellow flowers with red centers. The species epithet refers to the bipinnately compound leaves, resulting in a feathery appearance. Image monkshood Aconitum sinomontanum Widener Visitor Center Native to China, this purple-flowering perennial brings color to shady garden areas. The form and arrangement of the petals resemble a hood, hence the common name. Image Orangeberry tea viburnum Viburnum setigerum ‘Aurantiacum’ Crabapple Slope This species of viburnum typically displays showy red fruit in the fall, but this cultivar is selected for its yellow/orange fruit that persist through the season. … What's in Bloom: …

Take a Journey of Sound Through the Morris Audio artist Richard Hamilton debuted his 24-minute soundscape piece, Auscultation Points, at the Morris during a workshop in June 2024. His piece, a combination of sounds recorded from across the Morris, encourages you to immerse yourself in nature. Image Image Audio artist Richard Hamilton debuted his 24-minute soundscape piece, Auscultation Points, here at the Morris during a workshop for the University of Pennsylvania's  Program in Environmental Humanities Ecotopian Toolkits in June 2024. His piece, a combination of sounds recorded from across our gardens, encourages you to immerse yourself in nature and reflect on the parts of the Morris that we typically hear as well as those sounds we cannot hear without assistance. Richard used various microphones such as ultrasonic mics and hydrophones to record sounds from plants, animals, and bodies of water. The result is a layered soundscape that reflects the beauty of the Morris while highlighting how unheard sounds play a larger role in the health and stability of the ecosystem than we realize. On your next visit, bring your headphones and scan the QR code located on the sign outside the Welcome Center—or listen below! RPH · Auscultation Points Learn more about Richard Hamilton and Auscultation Points → Richard Hamilton is the co-owner of  Dragonfly Audio Post and an award-winning sound designer, mixer, and film/tv composer. Blog Image September 12, 2024 … Take a Journey of Sound Through the …

Summer of Dinos Summer of Dinos Image Image May 25 — September 30, 2024 Free with general admission Get Tickets → Visitors are invited to discover Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs — a self-guided exhibition featuring plants in our collection with roots that go back to prehistoric times. There is also a brand-new dinosaur exhibition in the Garden Railway, Garden Railway: Dinos! Plus, there will be a pop-up paleontologist’s cottage featuring hands-on “dig stations,” special family-friendly programming including Fossil Fridays, dino story time, and much more!   If you were to travel back in time to the Mesozoic Era, which lasted from approximately 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago, you would find a world much different than our own. Not only was it a time of great geologic and biological transition, but the world had some of the hottest temperatures ever known. As the climate changed, plants changed, too! Flowering plants appeared and led the way to an era that supported greater numbers and variety of dinosaurs than any other. Meat-eating animals like the Tyrannosaurus rex got their energy by eating plant-eating dinosaurs like the Triceratops , which got their energy by eating plants and the plants got their energy from sunlight! Without these plants, the food chain would have been incomplete. Sponsored in part by: Image      Image Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs In  Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs —a new self-guided exhibition that runs from Saturday, May 25, 2024 through Monday, September 30, 2024—visitors will learn more about the plants in our collection with roots that go back to prehistoric times. Join Morris Arboretum & Gardens as we travel back to the Mesozoic era, a time 252 to 66 million years ago (MYA) that saw the dominance of reptiles and conifers, the rise of dinosaurs, and the emergence of flowering plants.   Learn More Image Garden Railway: Dinos! With more than 15 different rail lines running along a third of a mile of track, visitors will …

Beyond the Morris: Exploring Gardens in Scandinavia This summer, Compton Horticulturist Jen Monico  traveled to  Sweden and Denmark where she visited gardens and private estates to learn more about garden design and management. Hej hej! Image Jen Monico, Compton horticulturist at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens, in Stockholm. This past July, I was fortunate to travel to Sweden with support from the Paul W. Meyer Extraordinary Experience Fund. Why Sweden, you may ask? I was there for a week-long  University of Pennsylvania graduate course I was taking as part of my master’s degree in nonprofit leadership. It was a travel course through the Organizational Dynamics program, and we learned about strategies that have helped Sweden thrive in the 21st century.  We spoke with individuals in a variety of fields—government, healthcare, military, sustainability, and more—and toured a few cultural sites. Afterward, I turned my focus to the work part of the trip and spent time at gardens and private estates in Gothenburg and Copenhagen, learning about garden design and management. The class fell mid-summer, an opportune time for us gardeners to explore beyond the Morris’s boundaries. Spring had come and gone with a flurry of activity and summer plantings were all tucked into the beds and starting to flourish, but fall had yet to bring the next big to-do list of putting the garden to bed and prepping the holiday lights. While there is never a lack of things to do, summer is a slower time and therefore easier to pull my mind and body out of the garden for professional development, networking, and finding new inspiration. It is valuable for horticulturists to take a step back from the daily grind. Our routines can be rote and comfortable, and that can sometimes engender the misconception that we understand the full visitor experience we provide. Visiting other gardens and being a visitor allows us to engage with the garden from the other side. It can highlight things at your own …

Morris Arboretum & Gardens Breaks Ground for a New Plant Science Lab October 7, 2024 Philadelphia, PA—Construction for the new Morris Arboretum & Gardens Plant Science Lab is underway, following a groundbreaking ceremony October 1, 2024, at the arboretum in Chestnut Hill. The lab will significantly expand the Morris’s research capabilities in using DNA science to save native plants and trees that are being affected by harsher climate conditions. “Scientific research in botany and horticulture has been one of the pillars of the Morris Arboretum & Garden’s mission since its founding in 1932,” said William Cullina, the F. Otto Haas executive director. “This research is more important than ever. A changing climate, resulting in shifting temperate zones, and other anthropogenic impacts have put immense stress on the life-sustaining plants that surround us.” As a leading public garden and research institution, the Morris is building new lab facilities to accommodate current and additional research staff who are working to understand the genetics of rare as well as abundant species. The new facility will provide a wet lab space and equipment that researchers will use to complete plant molecular biology and anatomy studies. “The Morris amplifies Penn’s fundamental mission of research,” said Michael Scales, vice president of the Division of Business Services University of Pennsylvania. “Good research needs good resources. The Plant Science Lab will no doubt be a vital resource to scientists grappling with some of the most crucial issues of our time, not least of which are the existential implications of sustaining life in this age of rapid climate change.” The new lab is an important part of the Morris’s 20-year comprehensive site plan that includes providing a more accessible, welcoming, and enriching guest experience. Construction of the lab is expected to be completed in early 2025. Image Left to right: Elizabeth P. McLean, emeritus member of the Board of Advisors of the …